SSWC: Month 1
by Lizmillerdaughterofzeus
Summary: This is the first month of our short story writing contest. The stories all had to be somewhat about an archer. T out of safety.
1. Piercing arrows

Piercing Arrows  
By: ninjagal

"Wait for my cue!" shouted the sergeant.  
The men stood steady, guns aimed at the dummies.  
Noticing one of the men's position, I thought to myself, He's going to miss.  
Sure enough, when they were told to fire, he missed, and I rolled my eyes and went back to my work.  
"Where's that damn wash?" John shouted, impatient as always.  
"I'm working on it right now, sir," I replied, trying to sound polite but probably just coming across as irritated.  
"Oh, it's you," he said, his demeanor changing. He stood up straighter, and talked deeper in a vain attempt to impress me.  
"Yes, it's me. Since when do any of the men do the wash?" I asked in disdain, spitting the word "man" out like poison.  
He was either unfazed by my comment or he was just plain stupid because he replied, "Never, I guess. You're the only one who could do it right."  
Oh God, not again. I moaned internally. If he flirts with me one more time I swear I'll-  
"Thomson!" Sergeant Steele shouted. "Stop talking to the wash maid and get back to work!"  
John turned around and replied stoutly, "Yes, sir!"  
I smiled at the sergeant gratefully. He could tell I hated it when the men flirted with me because I was the only woman at the camp. John always talked about his "loyal sweetie" back at home. If only she knew how loyal her man was.  
I went back to washing the soldier's dirty clothes and glared at the soapy water. I could've been out there, shooting a gun a dummies and not missing, unlike some of the boys who called themselves men.  
The only real man there was Levi. Well, I was supposed to call him Sergeant Steele when there were other people around.  
He had arranged for us to be together, but no one knew he was courting me. If they did, John would be much more careful who he flirted with.  
I noticed that he had been acting strange and more distant lately. I didn't know if I was just over analyzing things. He was obviously busy throughout the day, and he was tired when he went to bed. Even so, I wished he would talk to me if only a little.  
Sighing, I brought my my attention back to the clothes and kept washing.

That night, before I left to go to sleep, Levi pulled me aside.  
"Autumn," he said solemnly, "I need to talk to you."  
I followed him slowly, afraid of why he wanted to talk to me.  
"I know I haven't been giving you much attention lately, but I was just nervous."  
"Nervous about what?" I asked, feeling anxious myself.  
"Well," he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled something out, hidden in his fist. "I just wanted to ask you something. We go into battle against the Union tomorrow, and I want to know that I'll go in with something to fight for."  
He knelt down on one knee and opened his hand, revealing a small, plain ring.  
"I want to know that I'm fighting for you, now and forever. I love you, Autumn. Will you marry me?"  
I was awestruck. I felt tears in my eyes as I nodded my head vigorously.  
"Yes, yes, yes! I love you, too, Levi!"  
I hugged him tightly, jumping a little to get my arms around his neck. He hugged me back with his strong arms and ran his hand through my dark brown hair. He looked into my green eyes as I stared into his blue.  
He slid the ring on my finger and smiled, showing his lack-luster teeth that were slowly beginning to match the shade of his sandy blonde hair.  
"Good night, Levi," I whispered.  
My night was swift and dreamless, when I woke I ran outside to see the soldiers getting ready.  
I ran around until I saw my fiancé. When I caught sight of him, I hugged him tightly.  
He smiled but pushed me away gently. "I have to get ready," he said sweetly.  
I took a step back. I watched him gather his ammunition and gunpowder and gun. I stared at him as he got in line to begin marching to the battle ground.  
"Just come back!" I shouted before he left my vision. Not hearing me, he didn't answer.

He's fine. I kept telling myself as I washed the clothes and the sheets and the dishes and anything else that needed cleaning. He's fine.  
A day passed. He's fine.  
Two days. He's fine.  
A week. He has to be fine.  
A week and a day. Just come home.  
They came walking back, glum and defeated.  
I ran up to them, shooting questions.  
"What happened? Did you win? Did anyone die? Where's Levi?"  
Silence. Heavy, deafening silence.  
"Where's Levi?" I asked again, quieter.  
No one looked at me in the eye. Everyone was staring at my finger with Levi's ring on it.  
"So it's true," John said plainly. "He did ask you to marry him."  
"Yes, he did. Now, where is he?" I asked through gritted teeth.  
John looked at me, staring harshly. "They took him. He made sure we got away, but he got caught. He's probably dead." He didn't speak with remorse or regret, just anger.  
I shook my head. "No, he isn't dead. He can't be dead. No, no, no! You're lying!" I shouted.  
A younger soldier stepped forward. "He's telling the truth, Miss."  
I stared at them. They were liars, all of them. He wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead.  
"He was fighting for me," I whispered to myself.  
The young man stepped forward and took my arm kindly. "Come along. Let's get you some water and you can rest."

He's fine. He's fine. He's fine.  
It ran through my mind, my blood, my heart. I became sure that it was true, and I wanted to save him.  
"No," John said. With Levi gone, John took his place as sergeant. "We're not risking all of us for one man."  
I stared at him, begging, "Please!"  
"No." For the first time, he had some feeling other than anger when talking about Levi's kidnapping. "I'm sorry, Autumn."  
I turned my back sharply and walked out of the camp. If they wouldn't save him, I would.

As night fell, I snuck around the dark camp, taking a gun, finding ammunition, and stealing gunpowder.  
I slunk around noiselessly, my feet treading over the grass without a sound.  
I slipped into John's tent carefully. I knew he kept a knife with him-he showed it off to the men if anyone challenged him. From what I had been told, it had a leather grip and a sharp point.  
I saw it lying next to his head, looking surprisingly grand for an army knife.  
Picking it up, I noticed it was lighter than i thought it would be.  
I tucked it away with the rest of my provisions, and left the tent silently, walking out of the camp and towards Levi.  
I walked through the woods and followed the beaten trail from the soldiers on their march to the battlefield and their defeated trek back to the camp. I followed it, determined not to return empty-handed. If I wasn't going to come back with Levi, I wasn't going to come back at all.  
So, I set aside any fear and began running across the path. I had to keep the soldiers from being able to catch up with me, assuming they followed me at all. They probably would for the things I stole from them.  
I kept running till the sun broke across the horizon. I slowed to a walking pace and trudged on, ignoring my growling stomach.  
I was sure that I might pass out by noon. I stopped and pulled out my ration of stale crackers, eating two. Then I stood and kept walking.  
After a day, I was at the battlefield. Abandoned bodies were strewn across the land, and though there were dead from the Union, I pitied them.  
I stared straight ahead as I walked across the field of the dead, afraid that if I were to look down I'd see Levi, motionless, lifeless, eternally sleeping with his comrades and enemies. I followed the faint and fading trail of the Union, running quickly yet slowly inspecting to make sure I stayed on their path.

He's fine.  
I dreamt that phrase when I finally slept. I ate my disgusting crackers slowly, cherishing every bite that would help me get closer to Levi.  
When I woke up, I felt like it was my battle cry. I would run into battle-no, ride my horse into battle with my gun loaded and aimed at the Union general, and I would fire the trigger shouting that Levi was fine.  
I reached for my gun, imagining it perfectly, but my hand didn't find it. Turning, I saw it was gone. My only weapon was gone. My best chance at saving Levi was gone! How could it be gone?!  
My eyes darted around my camp until I saw the tracks. They weren't human, but I couldn't tell what animal they belonged to.  
It took my food, too.  
Well, I just fancy this! I shouted in my head. I have no gun, no food, and no chance!  
In compete anger, I stood up and pulled out the knife, throwing it into the nearest tree. It sank deep into the bark, a perfect shot.  
When I calmed down enough to retrieve it without throwing it again, an idea came to me. A hopeless, idiotic, so-insane-it-just-might-work idea.  
I used the knife to saw off the lowest, thickest branch. My dad had taught me how to whittle, and I set to work. My knife was dull enough trying to cut through the branch, but it lasted long enough to let me finish my work.  
I tried to bend it and make sure it was thin enough to be flexible but thick enough to not break when pulled back. I made sure it felt right when I held it, and finally pulled the string that served as a belt on my dress out. I tied the ends to each side, and made sure it wasn't too loose or too tight.  
Finally, I broke off the longest, straightest, lightest branch I could reach and cut a notch into one end so it fit my string.  
When I was completely ready, I fired my arrow. It hit the center of a tree with deadly precious.  
This battle was not over yet.

I followed the trail until I had found the temporary Union camp. When night fell, I silently maneuvered my way around their tents until I was at what I was sure was the prison hold.  
I entered the tent carefully, and saw that I was right.  
One prisoner sat in the middle of the breaking tent, hands and feet bound and mouth gagged. He was so injured, I nearly didn't recognize him.  
"Levi?" I whispered.  
He tilted his head up, and when his eyes focused on me, he stared in shock and awe. He attempted to talk through his gag, and I pulled it out for him.  
"Autumn? What are you doing here? How did you get here? Is that a bow on your back?!"  
"Shh! I'm here to save you, I got here by walking because that moronic demon John wouldn't help, and yes. I do have a bow and an arrow with me."  
He looked at me as if I was some alien, telling him I was here to take him to my planet.  
I pulled out the knife and cut the rope tying him.  
"Follow me, and keep quiet," I commanded.  
We stepped out of the tent and started to sneak back to the cover of the trees, but I hadn't checked to see if anyone was about us.  
"The prisoner is escaping!" a voice cried, rousing the entire camp.  
"Run!" I shouted. "Give me a string!"  
"What?" Levi asked, confused.  
"A string! Give me one!"  
He took a string left behind by the frayed rope and gave it to me.  
This better work, I prayed.  
While we ran, I tied the knife to my makeshift arrow shaft, judging how off the weight was and how far the wrong way I would have to fire it to hit whatever my target would be.  
Just as it was tied, we were cut off by half-dressed, armed soldiers.  
They aimed, but a voice shouted, "Wait!"  
I turned around, and a well-dressed man was gazing down at me.  
"What is a woman doing here, rescuing a soldier?" the man asked, not angrily but not nicely either.  
I glared and lifted my bow and arrow, aiming at his chest and hoped it looked threatening.  
Instead, he laughed. "I am Major Henry Abbot. Who might you be?"  
I stayed silent. I recognized the name, but that didn't mean I was willing to tell him who I was.  
"A strong will, I see," he said with slight appraisal.  
I muttered, "Autumn, Major Abbot. My name is Autumn."  
He seemed surprised. "Quite an unusual name, don't you think?"  
I didn't blink, but just stared him down, my arrow still pointed at him.  
"I see a ring on your finger. Is this man your fiancé?"  
I nodded slightly, happy about that thought.  
"Ah, young love is sweet." He seemed to consider something, then motioned for his men to lower their weapons. "Go. Don't tell anyone what happened, and don't go back to this war."  
He turned to Levi, "Get out while you still can and live with the one you love."  
Levi looked conflicted, but seemed to resolve himself. "Yes, sir."  
Both smiled, and I lowered my bow. I took Levi's hand and we turned to the woods.  
As we walked away, I thought to myself with a slight joking manner, He's a good man. I'm happy he didn't have to feel the piercing of my pathetic arrow.  
After a few moments of silence, I asked him, "Where do you want to go?"  
He seemed to think on that. With a smile he said, "North. Let's see where that takes us."  
We walked, hand in hand, smiling, to wherever the future would take us.


	2. Our Hellish World

Our Hellish World  
By Red Glasses  
It was a moonless night, which helped to set the mood. I sat on the roof, rather bored. There were only a few stars in the sky, so everything was pitch black. I do love a good challenge. I slip on a pair of black gloves and carefully pull out my bow. My alert eyes scan through the houses, and I spot my target, just as the picture had described him. I pull out the sharp arrow and fasten it in the bow gingerly.  
Steady now... If I miss this, my mission is a failure. Breathe in.. Breathe out. I steady my hand, then release the arrow. Right when I hear the sound of a hit target, I sling my bow over my shoulder and hop to the next building. When I'm sure that no one is around, I light a small fire and burn the gloves- erasing all evidence. Once the fire is out, I take the ashes and sprinkle them over the side of the building, letting the wind spread them out. Rule #1 of assassination: Leave no trace.

Mission: Success. I erase evidence of the fire and hop building to building. When I'm far enough from the city, I stop and put my bow back in it's case. I pull out a phone and tap on one of the only numbers registered: HQ. After two rings, I hear the familiar music. I quickly say my code into the phone, and I hear a strong male voice pick up. "Black Fox!" He greets. "Hello, Sir." I say softly. "Mission Success." I can almost hear his smile. "Excellent work as usual! Get back to HQ, we'll call your client and have the money delivered to you." He booms. Tch, he's so loud for an assassin boss. "Okay, Sir. Thank you." I say, hanging up.  
They call me Black Fox at the agency. It's a Code Name; we are forbidden to use our own do to security protection. And if the moment comes, we also have fake names set up along with ID's. We have Red Wolf; Daniel. Navy Horse; Aaron. Gray Crow; Skylar. Crimson Lion; Tyson. Violet Cat; Rosie. And I. Black Fox; Avery. This is my team. D.A.S.T.R.A. Nothing special, just our initials put together.  
I hop on my black motorcycle and start the engine; my keys were left in. I take my helmet and put it over my light brown locks, tucking some of the stray strands behind my ear. My motorcycle purrs, and I slam the gas, speeding away. As I rode, I could hear the sound of the police nearby. Shit. I think angrily. I was the only person on the road, so I'll look suspicious. I swerve to the right and into the trees, right as a line of cop cars speeds by me. I was hoping that the dark of the trees would hide me, and it did.  
Once I was positive that the police cars were gone, I take my bike out of the trees and back onto the road. Then, my phone rings again, I pick it up and look at the caller ID, then sigh softly. Tyson. "Hello..?" I ask, a small frown on my face. "Avery! You okay?" My teammate asks loudly, the concern clear in his voice. "Yeah, Crimson Lion. I'm fine." I hiss. Realizing his obvious mistake, I hear a small gasp from his side of the line. "Crap! Sorry Black Fox!" Tyson says in alarm. How does this dumbass always forget that our calls could be taped? The only reason he was welcome into the agency is because of his charisma and the fact that he's brilliant with a gun.  
"It's cool- just watch yourself next time." I say with a soft sigh. "Right! Stay safe Foxy!" Tyson says with his usual loud laugh, hanging up his phone before I could yell at him. He calls me Foxy because he knows it pisses me off. I shake my head and tuck my phone back into the single pocket of my tight black pants. I start up my motorcycle once more and zoom off, my brown locks flying about behind me.

I arrive at a small run down wear-house. I slip off my bike and walk it inside, quickly making sure no one was watching. Inside, it would first appear that the wear-house was empty, but it was much more than that. I stomp around until I hear the familiar hollow thump. I kneel down and undo the board, revealing a layer of soft earth. Brushing it away, I find a button. I press it, and several of the boards begin to shift, moving away to reveal a metal platform. I cover up the switch once more and place the board back down as I had done so many times before. I lead my motorcycle to the metal platform and press another button with the heel of my boot, and it makes a soft grinding noise before lowering me into the ground. I look up and see the boards shifting once more and rejoining.  
Once I'm far enough underground, a smile crosses my face. "I'm back!" I call, hopping off the platform and waving to Chris; our boss. "Black! You're back!" He booms, wrapping me into a way-too-tight hug. "Yeah..!" I gasp, struggling to breathe through his crushing hug. Chris lets go and flashes me a wide grin.  
Chris looks how you may expect an assassin boss may look. Tall, goatee, dark eyes and hair, pretty damn strong, brilliant, but he has an unusually warm smile. He's also our "dad". Not biologically. Tyson, Skylar, Rosie, Daniel, Aaron, and I are orphans. He "adopted" us and raised us- to be assassins. Tyson had recently joined the "family". He had been at an orphanage not to long ago when Chris spotted him hunting in his territory. Long story short, Tyson was a great shot so he was invited to join. He's such a klutz though... The rest of us kinda grew up together; I being here the longest.  
Chris releases his grasp on me and I gasp for air. His booming laugh fills the air and he pats me on the back. "Alright, go find the others. I have a mission for you." He says. "Okay. Where are they?" I ask. "Aaron, Tyson, and Daniel are training. I think Skylar and Rosie in their rooms." He replies. I nod and decide to head to Skylar's room first. I head downstairs and spot the familiar redhead locking her bedroom door. Her blue eyes land on me and a wide grin crosses her face. "Hi Avery!" She chirps, "Did you just get back from your mission?" Skylar asks. I nod, smiling faintly in return. "Chris wanted us to all meet upstairs for an assignment." I say, heading over to Rosie's door and knocking on it. The bubbly redhead nods and rushes upstairs. Rosie may not seem very bright, but she's rather excellent at hand-to-hand combat.  
The door to Rosie's room opens, revealing the short blonde with a pixie cut and wire- framed glasses. She looks up at me through intelligent brown eyes, "Hello, Avery. How may I help you?" She asks quietly. Rosie is the brains of our team. She does fairly well with hand-to- hand combat, her aim with a weapon is a bit shaky, but she is excellent with strategies. "Chris wanted us to meet upstairs for a meeting." I say to her. Rosie smiles faintly and nods, walking upstairs.  
I watch her leave, then I head downstairs. Right when I open the door to the training room, I am welcomed by the smell of sweat and the yells of my male teammates. I spot Daniel and Tyson in combat aiming punches at each other. Aaron was watching them from the sidelines, his green eyes wide in excitement as he cheers on the other two. Aaron and I make eye contact, and the dirty blonde boy flashes me a smile, "Hey! Avery is here!" He calls. Daniel and Tyson stop and look at me. "Hey Avery!" Tyson calls with his usual loud voice. He pushes his dark hair back, which was wet with sweat and sticking to his head. "Do you need anything?" Daniel asks, stretching. "Chris wanted us to all meet upstairs so he can assign us a mission." I say, turning on my heel and walking away.  
I hear the three males behind me, and I turn around, wrinkling my nose. "You guys stink! How long were you training?" I ask. "Ever since I got off the phone with you." Tyson boasts. I roll my eyes and make my way upstairs, where Chris, Rosie, and Skylar were waiting for us. "There you are!" Chris says with a wide grin. I nod and sit down with the others. The three boys join me on the floor, and I wrinkle my nose once more. "Seriously! Take a damn bath!" Daniel brushes his blonde hair away from his forehead, laughing, "Later." He says. I fake a pout and turn back to Chris, who claps his rather large hands together. "Alright! Our client doesn't wish for his name to be revealed, but he's offering a ton of money for this one!" We all exchange pleased looks. "Alright! Who, when, and where?" Daniel asks excitedly. Daniel was sort of the leader of our little group. He specialized in all fields of combat- weaponry and hand-to-hand, and there was an air about him that made him seem trustworthy.  
Chris smiles, "Okay, your target lives in a large house on Racket Road. You can't miss it. Heavily secured place; it won't be easy to infiltrate. The target must be dead by tomorrow night. His name is..." Chris searches through some papers, then pulls out a picture of a boy. Once my green eyes take in his face, I freeze.  
No..  
He had sandy hair and friendly blue eyes, and a wide grin was across his face. Judging from his features; he was 17, like us.  
No no no no no no! Not him! I think angrily. Once everyone takes in his face, they nod. "His name is Connor Gregory." Chris informs.  
~ One Week Previous ~  
Dodgeball day; my favorite. I could be violent and still go for the rules... most of the time. I glare at a group of fellow Junior girls, huddled in a group and giggling. Is that all these girls can do? I think. Chris only had one rule for when we were at school: Don't make friends, you may end up having to kill them later. It was simple, I didn't speak to them and they didn't speak to me. Some of the guys tried, but I never really stuck with a conversation. The bright red balls were all lined up along the Gym floor. I bent into a running position, smiling excitedly. I look up from the balls and scan the other team for any threats, and spot some males who may be good at throwing. Then, my green eyes meet a pair of blue ones. The boy with the blue eyes flashes me a friendly grin, and I can't help but smile in return.  
"Go!" The PE teacher yells. I spring across the floor and grab two of the balls, then dart back. Once I cross the line in which we can fire from, both of my red balls fly from my hands, and I manage to get two people out. A ball comes flying towards me, and I catch it, getting another person out. I grab a rolling ball, and my eyes meet the blue-eyed boy once more. Subconsciously, the ball flies from my hand. And hits him in the face. He stumbles back and hits the floor. The teacher blows the whistle, and the game comes to a halt. "Connor! You okay?" He calls. Connor stands up, revealing a bloody nose, and my face goes beet red. "Yeah, I'm fine." He says with a laugh. The PE teacher shakes his head. "Get to tha office and wash away that blood. Get an ice pack too." He says. Connor blinks in surprise and nods, "Er.. Alright."  
"Take someone with ya too." He says. His eyes scan the students, including myself. "Uh.. I'll go!" I call. Heads snap in my direction, and my face heats up even more. The teacher nods, furrowing his eyebrow in confusion as he looked at me. He obviously forgot my name. "Alright, get back as soon as ya can." He says, dismissing us with a wave of his hand.  
As soon as we leave the gym, I begin to apologize. "I'm so sorry about that!" I say, burying my face into my hands. Connor laughs slightly. "It's fine! It's my fault for being a terrible dodger! Hey, what's your name?" Don't make friends, you may end up having to kill them later.  
"Avery." I reply with a small smile. "Cool, I'm Connor." He says, returning the smile.  
Don't make friends, you may end up having to kill them later. Screw the rules. This guy's too nice for someone to ever want to kill him.  
We talk for what seems like forever, until we reach the office. Connor enters and gets cleaned up, while I wait in the hall, dazed. I broke the rules and made an actual friend.. wow. I think, running a hand through my light brown locks. The rules don't matter anymore. I actually made a friend. A real friend. Not like Tyson, Rosie, Daniel, Aaron, and Skylar; who were like family. An actual friend. When Connor exits the office, he has a tissue up his nose so soak up the blood, and I can't help but let out a laugh. Connor fakes a pout by sticking out his lower lip, "You think I look weird?" He asks. I flash him a smile and nod, and we both break out in a fit of laughter.  
An actual friend.  
~ Present ~  
And now I have to kill him. This is why I shouldn't have broken the rules. I keep a poker face on and listen as Rosie and Daniel discuss our plan to kill Connor. "Avery is fastest and the quietest with killing. She should do it." Rosie says in her soft voice. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, but I merely nod. Once we've completed our strategizing, we load our weapons and each hop onto identical black motorcycles, all taking separate routs to his house. As I ride, I let my tears fall.  
Us assassins live in a truly hellish world. We must distance ourselves from others. We can't become friends with anyone, because we live to kill, and you may have to kill that one person you were foolish enough to befriend.


	3. Year 5000

Year 5000  
Allyson LaFon

Life is rough. Hard to keep up with, hard to follow, hard just to live. As I walk through the old, rusty, empty corridors, my boots jingle; the sound has a dull echo. The old lights above my head light my path with an orangish glow. The thin layer of muck on the ground tells me that the Troopers had recently been through here. They were always tracking the filth in from their boots. I turn down another filthy corridor with metal doors lining the curved walls. I stop at door 364 and open it.  
"Riley! Where have you been!" my mother calls worriedly.  
"Here and there, everywhere," I say.  
"Riley, its past Hours. What if one of the Troopers had found you? What would have happened?"  
"Mom, its five past seven. I'm sure I'd have been fine." I never take the rules seriously.  
Everyone was up by six in the morning; Troopers came by and basically took your door down for morning roll-call. Breakfast was at six-thirty. School and work started at seven and went until eleven-thirty. Then Troopers came by and did afternoon roll-call every day at twelve. Twelve-thirty was lunch. Class and wok resumed at one and went until five-thirty. We had to be back in our houses for evening roll-call by six. Dinner started at six-thirty. Our curfew was seven o'clock.  
You may be wondering how this happened. Well, it's simple. People got fed up with America. Even when we were a new country, we kept getting into other people's business and bossing them around. England was the first to take a stand. Our country had become so advanced with technology, we couldn't handle it. Our world fell; we grew too tall and lost our balance. The air became too polluted and unbreathable. England took the chance in our weakness and captured us. They had the subway systems in old New York extended to reach all across the country. Domes were made to keep us in. No one was allowed outside anymore. A door was placed at every capitol in all the forty-eight continental states. There were forty-nine doors total. The Troopers made a huge spectacle of the last door closing. It was where our capitol used to be; Washington DC.  
"Say good-bye to your world. Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before. It is no more. This is your home now," the very first head Trooper called out to the people watching both live and on television. He paused for a moment, and slammed the door shut with a loud clang. We were forced to celebrate the day we went into hiding and fell victim to the Troopers every year on that day.  
That was over two thousand years ago. This year, is the year 5000.  
The door to our compartment opens and my mother pulls me closer. My father slides through the door as he thanks someone on the other side.  
"Did Arthur let you by again?" my mother asks. My father nods. He is always coming home late due to traffic and helping late with the store he works at. One time our Zone Trooper, Arthur, followed my father for a day to see for himself why my father is always late to evening roll-call. Arthur must have been pleased with what he saw as he lets my father's less than stellar time keeping skills slide every evening.  
"But, no matter, it's past curfew; time for us to go to bed. We have a big day ahead of us," my father says like he does every night. I walk to my bedroom and get ready for bed.  
As I drift to sleep, I can't help but try to imagine the world outside. Our domes have no windows or glass roofs. No one has seen the outside in over two thousand years, except for the Troopers. I can't really see the world as anything but dark at this time. There is a big round light in the sky, but it isn't orange like the lights here. It is white and not bright enough to light any paths. For some reason, there is a shape in front of the bright, yet dim light. It looks like a person, only they have a strange looking hand that is long and curved. The figure's back has a cylindrical lump with thin shafts sticking out of it. The figure detaches a shaft from its back and connects it to its long hand. With the hand that moved the shaft, it pulls back on a string that seems to be part of the hand, and lets it go. The shaft goes flying.  
I do not see where it went as I am woken by a loud banging on our door.  
"Open up! It's time to get up!" Arthur shouts and bangs. I look at my clock to see that its almost six o'clock in the morning. I pull myself out of bed to start another day.


End file.
